Railway sleeper and clip for securing a rail thereto

ABSTRACT

A railway track in which each sleeper is constituted by two tiebeams interconnected by a distance piece with the top surface of each tie-beam having a central rail supporting part, a depression at each side of this central part, and an area in relief outboard of each depression. The railway track also includes a clip system for securing the rail to the tie-beam which system comprises two U-shaped clips engageable under a headed bolt in each depression and engaging at its outboard end on a wedge and in its inboard end on an insulating spacing member lying on the bottom flange of the rail.

United States Patent Serafin et al.

1 Apr. 25, 1972 73] Assignee:

[54] RAILWAY SLEEPER AND CLIP FOR.

SECURING A RAIL THERETO [72] Inventors:- Marian Serafin, Paris; Maurice Decubber,

Beamont. Seine-et-Oise'both of France Arme Systeme Vagneux [22] Filed: Apr. 7, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.: 26,379

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 11. 1969 France "69/1121) [52] US. Cl ..238/349, 238/369 51 1m.c|..... .....E01b9/30,E0lb9/06 5s FieldofSearch ..238/349,l15,369

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1968 Sonneville ..238/115 6/1970 Walters ..238/349 Societe Anonyme De Traverses En Beton v 2,205,584 6/1940 Warr ..238/349 3,439,874 4/1969 Meier ...238/349 2,281,750 5/1942 Clarkson ..238/349 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 867,298 5/1961 GreatBritain ..238/349 968,128 8/1964 GreatBritain ..238/349 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch AttorneyBreitenfeld & Levine 57 ABSTRACT A railway track in which each sleeper is constituted by two tiebeams interconnected by a distance piece with the top surface of each tie-beam having a central rail supporting part, a depression at each side of this central part, and an area in relief outboard of each depression. The railway track also includes a clip system for securing the rail to the tie-beam which system comprises two U-shaped clips engageable under a headed bolt in each depression and engaging at its outboard end on a wedge and in its inboard end on an insulating spacing member lying on the bottom flange of the rail.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 25 m2 7 3. 658 247 SHEET 10F 2 va-w ro R .s MARIAN Scan Fm Manama DecuaaeR A nckurvs RAILWAY SLEEPER AND CLIP FOR SECURING A RAIL THERETO This invention relates to sleepers for railway tracks and to clip systems for securing rails on railway sleepers.

There are already known a substantial number of sleeper constructions for positioning rails and a substantial number of clip systems for securing the rails to the sleepers.

The present invention relates to a sleeper-clip assembly which is particularly suitable for modern tracks, both for laying in long lengths welded rails as well as for insulated track, the assembly being of a remarkably simple and effective conception so that the mounting of the clips and their possible removal can be effected very quickly and without any screwing operation.

According to the present invention there is provided a railway sleeper comprising two spaced tie-beams and a distance piece connecting the tie-beams, each tie-beam having, on each side of a central part for mounting the rail, two depressions, a vertical bolt with a protruding head mounted in each depression, and outboard of each depression an area in relief forming a support face.

Also according to the present invention there is provided a clip system for securing a rail on a sleeper as defined in the immediately preceding paragraph and comprising an inherently resilient clip of generally U-shape or V-shape in plan which is adapted to be supported at three points, a wedge for insertion between the support face of the tie-beam and the base of the U or V, and a spacing member for insertion between the base of a rail on the tie-beam and the ends of the two limbs of the clip.

Preferably, the spacing member serves as insulation since it is made of a plastics material, which is preferably reinforced.

Advantageously, the protruding head of each said bolt is of oblong shape and is perpendicular to the sleeper. The positioning of the clip for retaining a rail mounted onthe sleeper is effected by engaging the U-shaped clip around the bolt, then by turning the clip through 90 around the bolt.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mounting of a rail on a sleeper according to the invention, the attachment of the rail being effected by clip systems according to the invention; the sleeper has not been shown completely, only one tie-beam being visible with part of a distance piece;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the bolts associated with each tie-beam;

' FIG. 3 is a plan view of the clip;

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically in vertical section the assembly of the clip system; and,

FIGS. 5a and 5b are plan views illustrating the mounting of the clip, FIG. 5a showing the clip in the initial position and FIG. 5b showing the clip in the final position.

The sleeper according to the invention comprises two tiebeams B joined by a distance-piece E. As can be seen clearly from FIGS. 1 and 4, each tie-beam comprises a central part 1 serving to receive the base of the rail, two depressed areas 2 located one on each side of the central part 1, and two support regions 3 extending outboard of the areas 2 with each region 3 having a recess 3a, the function of which will be explained hereafter. Such a tie-beam is advantageously made of concrete or reinforced concrete. In each area 2 is mounted a vertical retaining bolt 5 (FIG. 2) comprising a protruding head 5a of oblong shape perpendicular to the direction of the distance piece E, the lower parts of the head 5b having a substantially curved or cylindrical surface.

The clip system of the present invention comprises a clip (FIGS. land 3) of general U-shape in plan and thus having two limbs 11 and 12 terminating in laterally extending parts 11a, 120, the limbs 11 and 12 being connected by a bridging part 13. Each of the limbs ll, 12 is bent substantially in its center as indicated at 1 lb and 12b. In addition, the clip system comprises a wedge 20, with a base 21 serving to seat it in one of the recesses 3a and a top notch 22 serving to engage and retain the bridging part 13 of the sleeper-clip 10. Finally, the

clip system comprises a spacing wedge 30 for abutting against the base plate of the rail R and comprising two flanges 31 and 32 for co-operating respectively with the flange of the base of the rail and the lateral parts 11a and 12a of the limbs of the clip. Advantageously, this spacing wedge or member is made of an insulating material, for example, a reinforced plastics material.

The bolt 5 and its head 50 are dimensioned and positioned depending on the space between the limbs 11 and 12 of the clip and the dimension of the bends 11b, 12b.

The positioning and attachment of the rail R on the sleeper is effected in the following manner: the rail R is placed, with its base, on the part 1 of the sleeper. A clip 10 is slid under the head 5a of each bolt 5 and is disposed in the initial position shown in FIG. 50. Each clip 10 is turned through in order to take up the position shown in FIG. 5b. The spacing wedge 30 is located in position by sliding it between the rail R and the limbs 11 and 12 of the clip, and it is finally positioned in relation to the lateral parts 11a and 12a of the limbs. The cylindrical surfaces 5b are in register with the bends 11b, 110. The bridging part 13 of the clip is lifted with a lever or an appropriate device incorporating, for example, a jack transmitting to a hook or lifting jaws a pulling force. Under the bridging part 13 lifted up in this way is slid the wedge 20 until its base 21 is located in its recess 3a. The bridging part 13 is then nested or engaged in the notch 22. In FIG. 4, the position of the clip before the wedge 20 is in position is shown in broken line and its position with the wedge 20 in position in full line. Thus, by means of the inherently resilient clip 10, which is made, for example, of silicon manganese steel, the rail R is retained on the sleeper with the required tension which is thus automatically regulated by the construction of the various parts. Since the clip 10 is supported at three points (13, 11a, 12a) it is remarkably stable. The co-operation of the bends 11b, 12b with the surfaces 5b of the bolt had, in addition keeps the clip parallel to the sleeper. The operations for mounting and dismounting the system are particularly simple. Adjustment and maintenance work is simplified, the use of a sleeper-screw device being no longer necessary. The gripping tension on the rail may be modified by varying the height of the wedge 20. The wedge 30 alone may serve to insulate the system. The sleeper is remarkably simple to manufacture, by incorporating the bolts 5 in the concrete before it is cured or hardened. Thus, the invention provides an assembly with particular advantages.

Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described, but extends to all variations within the scope of the accompanying claims. In particular, the lateral parts 11a, 12a of the two limbs of the clip may be turned inwards instead of or as well as outwards, and they may be omitted if the limbs of the clip are straight.

What is claimed is: g

1. An arrangement for mounting a rail having base flanges, comprising a railway sleeper including two spaced tie-beams and a distance piece connecting said tie-beams, each tie beam having on its supper surface a central portion for supporting a rail, a depression on each side of said central portion, a raised support area outboard of each depression, and a bolt projecting upwardly from each depression, each bolt having a single shank portion embedded in its respective tie-beam and an enlarged head at its upper end integral with said shank and projecting laterally on opposite sides of said shank, the area of each depression when viewed in plan being at least several times larger than that of said bolt head, an inherently resilient clip including a base and a pair of spaced-apart limbs, extending in generally the same direction from said base, said limbs extending beneath said bolt head at two spaced-apart positions, a wedge between said support area of said tie-beam and said base of said clip, and a spacing member between the ends of said limbs opposite said base and a flange of the rail.

2.. Anarrangement as 'defined in claim 1 wherein each of said clip limbs is formed with a bend cooperating with the lowersurface of said bolt head.

3. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said spacing member is formed of insulating material.

4. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said clip limbs has a laterally extending terminal portion, said spacing member has a groove for accommodating said ter- 5 minal portions, and said wedge has a groove for accommodating said clip base. 

1. An arrangement for mounting a rail having base flanges, comprising a railway sleeper including two spaced tie-beams and a distance piece connecting said tie-beams, each tie beam having on its supper surface a central portion for supporting a rail, a depression on each side of said central portion, a raised support area outboard of each depression, and a bolt projecting upwardly from each depression, each bolt having a single shank portion embedded in its respective tie-beam and an enlarged head at its upper end integral with said shank and projecting laterally on opposite sides of said shank, the area of each depression when viewed in plan being at least several times larger than that of said bolt head, an inherently resilient clip including a base and a pair of spaced-apart limbs, extending in generally the same direction from said base, said limbs extending beneath said bolt head at two spaced-apart positions, a wedge between said support area of said tie-beam and said base of said clip, and a spacing member between the ends of said limbs opposite said base and a flange of the rail.
 2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said clip limbs is formed with a bend cooperating with the lower surface of said bolt head.
 3. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said spacing member is formed of insulating material.
 4. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said clip limbs has a laterally extending terminal portion, said spacing member has a groove for accommodating said terminal portions, and said wedge has a groove for accommodating said clip base. 